Thursday, 25 September 2014

How Boko Haram Leader Was Killed

Details of how Mohammed Bashir, who has been
impersonating the late sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, lost his left in a
shootout with Nigerian troops in Konduga on Wednesday Sept. 17 has emerged with
military sources disclosing that he met his waterloo in an ambush reminiscent
of the type the sect had been using to hack down Nigerian troops.

According to Vanguard, when the first attack on Konduga
whereby hundreds of insurgents were taken unawares and killed after over seven
hours of fighting and several of their colleagues, arms and ammunition
captured, the military commanders strategically urged his captured members to
send a message to Shekau that they (insurgents) have routed the troops.

Before the captured insurgents were urged to make the
contact and deliver the message, the military commanders had promised them that
their cooperation would play a role in the level of punishment to be meted to
them after the battle hence they felt reassured.

Also, the captured insurgents had disclosed that Shekau
usually moved in a convoy of cars painted in military colours while he sits in
a MOWAG Armoured tank with Boko Haram inscription on its front.

When Shekau was contacted, his captured men spoke to him
in Arabic, assuring him that they had taken over Konduga, thereby giving him
the all clear to proceed from Sambisa Forest. To convince him further, a set of
his men captured were told to sing the victory song in Kanuri language they
normally sing at the background.

Having convinced himself that the messenger was his chief
courier in such situation and the message is authentic, he and his followers
made for Konduga, heavily armed with Anti-Aircraft weapons, General Purpose
Machine Guns, several AK 47 rifles and other IEDS’.

However, on entering Konduga town, he and his followers
were encircled by strategically placed and heavily armed Nigerian soldiers.
Immediately he contacted the messenger and discovered that something was amiss,
he ordered his followers to start shooting in all direction.

This spurred the Army Commanders to give the directive to
open fire. When he discovered that the fire power of the Nigerian Army who used
both Infantry and Artillery weaponry was overpowering that of his men, he
jumped out of the MOWAG and made to escape.

But eagle-eyed Nigerian Soldiers spotted him and opened
fire in him, shattering his legs in the process. It was learnt that he also
received bullet wounds in other parts of his body leading to his bleeding to
death.

Recall that Military sources had on Sunday night
disclosed that Nigerian troops scored a strategic victory in the current battle
against terrorists operating in the North East on September 17.

The sources noted that during a desperate attempt to
capture Konduga in their delusion to eventually marching on and capturing
Maiduguri, the man who had been mimicking Late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos
was feared to have been finally killed.

The sources said, “It is getting more certain that the
terrorists’ Commander who has been mimicking Shekau in those videos is the one
killed in Konduga on September 17, 2014.”

Affirming the development, PRNigeria sources said the
suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is responsible for the scattering of
the sect members in different independent locations in the neighbouring
countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent days.

The security sources noted further that “the process of
confirming that the dead body we have is the same as that character who has
been posing as Shekau is ongoing” adding “He is definitely a prominent
terrorist commander. I don’t want to say anything about this yet please.”

Another high ranking military source insisted that the
resemblance is too striking to be a coincidence.

“They cited his facial marks, beards and teeth apart from
the recovery by the Nigerian troops of some of the Armoured Vehicles and Hilux
jeeps that had featured in previous videos of the prime suspect.

“The officers assured that the Defence Headquarters will
soon address the nation after full investigation of their latest discovery”.

In a related story, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ,
has warned that any other person or leader who emerges using the name ‘Shekau’
will receive the same treatment.

The warning was made just as 135 members of the terrorist
group have surrendered to troops in Biu, Mairiga-Buni Yadi as well as
Mubi-Michika towns.

Briefing the media on current developments in the Counter
Terrorism Campaign yesterday, Director of Defence Information, Major General
Chris Olukolade said, “Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the
terrorists leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve justice to
anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek
to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.

Disclosing that many of the insurgents have been
surrendering to the Nigerian troops, Olukolade said, “A total of 135 terrorists
on Tuesday evening surrendered with equipment, to troops around Biu local government
area. A group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga-BuniYadi while another
group of 45 terrorists were taken in, around Mubi-Michika”.

Continuing he said, “Since the name Shekau has become a
brand name for the terrorists’ leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute
to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all
terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.

“On restoring normalcy after the encounter, inhabitants
of the community who were victims of terrorists activities corroborated
information on the identity of Bashir Mohammed alias Abubakar Shekau; alias
Abacha Abdullahi Geidam; alias Damasack; etc.

On the true position of the Chibok girls presently, the
DDI said all efforts were still ongoing to secure the release of the girls
noting that the military will not relent until the girls are secured.

Asked to comment of allegations by Cameroonian military
authorities that they were responsible for the death of the imposter Shekau,
Olukolade said, “To the best of our knowledge, we can say categorically that no
foreign force of any type penetrated our country’s borders up to Konduga which
is just about 35 kilometers to Maiduguri”.